All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.
International, Opinion, U.S.

Obama DOES back civil war rebels in Libya, IS targeting Gaddafi

Reuters says they have seen proof that President Barack Obama signed an order to actively support the rebels in Libya, even though there is proof that al Qaeda is also working with the rebels.

The order authorizes covert operations to get rid of Gaddafi. Reuters says the Presidential “finding” was sign two or three weeks ago.  This means Obama was lying through his teeth the past two weeks about NOT targeting Gaddafi, and about Operation Odyssey Dawn being just about protecting peaceful civilians.

Because al Qaeda might be involved with  rebels, this brings up another problem with arming rebels: “The whole issue on (providing rebels with) training and equipment requires knowing who the rebels are.”- Bruce Riedel, former CIA

Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who despise Gaddafi, are also willing to supply Libyan rebels with weapons.  By the way, those countries are Wahhab Muslim, the same as al Qaeda, yet they’re our allies.  Gaddafi is NOT a Wahhab Muslim.  So why do we keep supporting the ones who (Wahhabis) attacked us on September 11, 2001?

Fukushima

JET program officials worry that Japan disasters will drive away foreign teachers

‘‘I want more JETs to come and interact with the locals in the future but due to the current situation, I cannot welcome them open-handedly. I hope life gets back to normal as soon as possible.”-Hoshi Kazuyuki, assistant director at the international affairs section at the Miyagi prefectural government.

Organizers of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program worry that foreign teachers will think twice about teaching in Japan, after the 9.0 quake and tsunami, as well as radiation leaks from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

So far, many teachers from the United States, and Canada, have opted to stay and help with recovery efforts, even after one teacher from the U.S., Taylor Anderson, was killed in the disasters.

 

Fukushima

Bodies found contaminated with Radiation!

A body found in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, about 5 km (3.1 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, tested positive for high levels of radiation.  As many as 1,000 bodies of victims of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, might be contaminated with radiation, delaying their recovery.

Police officers, doctors and bereaved families may be exposed to radiation while retrieving the radiation-exposed bodies.  Local police stopped retrieving bodies, after radiation was detected on a victim in the town of Okuma last Sunday.

Any attempts to decontaminate bodies would damage the bodies even more.

Business/Economics, Fukushima

McDonald’s, Subway & Starbucks struggle in Japan

McDonald’s fast food restaurants around the world rely on regional, or local, suppliers for their food products.

Thanks to the March 11 disasters, and radiation threat, Japanese McDonald’s lost many of their local sources. Now suppliers in the United States, and other parts of the world, are sending food to the Japanese McDonald’s.

There are more than 3,300 McDonald’s in Japan, and as many as 100 had to close down. Don’t think that what you eat in Japanese McDonald’s is the same as in the U.S.  Many foreign McDonald’s tailor their menus to what local people want to eat.

So far McDonald’s supplies from U.S., and Asian countries, had to be flown in because the situation was serious. But once on the ground there was more problems getting the food from the airport to the restaurants. They faced the same problems everyone else in Japan is facing: Power outages and fuel shortages.

Subway and Starbucks are dealing with the same problems, they just don’t have the high number of restaurants that McDonald’s does.

Fukushima

Airlines cutting service to Japan

Several airlines around the world announced cuts, even total cancellations, of flights to Japan.

American Airlines will suspend two daily flights between the U.S. and Japan, from April 7 through 25. Officials blame a huge drop in passengers wanting to fly to Japan.

Delta Air Lines cut capacity on flights to Japan by 20%.

Russian company, Vladivostok Air, has stopped flights between Niigata and Khabarovsk. It also plans to suspend weekly flights between Niigata and Vladivostok starting Saturday. The reason is that the number of the airline’s passengers have dropped a huge 90%, when compared to February.

Australia’s Qantas Airlines is dealing with loses from Australia’s natural disasters, the New Zealand quake, and now dealing with the Japan disasters.  Qantas officials are blaming natural disasters for an estimated $140 million dollars in losses. Add to that the steadily increasing fuel prices and Qantas officials are worried. They say they have no choice but to cut flights.

Business/Economics, International

Hayao Miyazaki’s latest Anime may be what’s needed for Japan

Famous Japanese animator, Hayao Miyazaki (Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, etc), says his latest anime should be right for the time.

The new movie, a co-production with his son, Goro Miyazaki, is called ”Kokurikozaka Kara”.  It is based on a 30 year old comic book series (Manga) about teenagers trying to do well in Japan’s 1960s economy.

”The heroine’s desire and the boy’s will to live in the film are definitely needed in our time from now on,”-Hayao Miyazaki

The 1960s was when Japan’s economy finally started to take off, especially for their heavy industries, like cars. Prior to that Japan really was struggling, and believe it or not, Japan’s products were considered junk. Miyazaki believes Japan is facing a similar situation after the March 11 disasters.

The new movie is schedualed to be released in Japan July 16.  (Expect a long delay for release in the U.S. thanks to the greedy control freaks at Disney)

 

Fukushima, Idaho

Idaho detects Xenon and Iodine, New York picks up Iodine

New York state is reporting trace amounts of Iodine-131.

Also, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality reported, on its March 29 RadNet posting, that trace amounts of Iodine-131 and Xenon-133 has been detected in the Gem State.  The Idaho DEQ runs monitoring sites in Spokane, Washington, and Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Both states say the levels are of no threat, and monitoring is continuing.

Fukushima

IAEA joins Greenpeace in Pushing for Evacuation!

The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that one of the criteria for ordering mandatory evacuations, around Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, has been reached.

The IAEA says they found dangerous radiation levels in a town outside the current 20km (12.4 miles) evacuation zone.  The town is about 40km (24.8 miles) away from the nuclear plant. Earlier in the day Greenpeace activists made similar statements.

The IAEA is urging the Japanese government to take action.

 

 

Fukushima

Japanese scientists say most Tsunami damage occured with Backwash

Japanese scientist, going over the damage from 11 March tsunami, say buildings made of the toughest concrete, and several stories tall, were totally destroyed by the tsunami.  That included building that were thought to be safe for use as emergency shelters, of course most people in those shelters died.

The scientist say the most damage was not caused by the in rushing tsunami, but by the tsunami rushing back out to sea. They point out that anything that rushes uphill, will go faster when it rolls back downhill.  They say the same is true with tsunami, and of course, the bigger the tsunami the more dangerous its backwash is.

The strongest buildings, that were wiped out, show evidence that they were destroyed by the tsunami backwash.